Originally Posted by
Symox
Lifting my butt off the seat felt much more unstable to me. I felt like my shoes were "floating" on the clipless pedals and I felt like I had less control. I must be doing something wrong.
It's the same weight pressing the tires to the road. So, it shouldn't be actually less stable.
For road bikes, most of the shock absorption is in your legs (some is in the tires). With your weight off the seat, your legs are active and can deal with bumps much more quickly.
You really don't want to hit a bump at speed with all your weight on the seat.
I have the habit of lifting my weight whenever I'm coasting. That way, if I hit a bump I missed seeing, I'm already dealing with it.